How do I Replace the Sprockets & Chain on a Bandit 1200?

Robert GoodUpdated July 20, 2017

The Suzuki Bandit is a street motorcycle with a 1200cc twin four-stroke liquid-cooled engine. This sport motorcycle has two sprockets and one drive chain. One sprocket is mounted to the rear wheel and the other to the transmission. Different sized tools are used for different year models, but the replacement process is the same. Buy a replacement chain from a motorcycle repair shop.

Remove the metal nut on the rear of the swing arm that is securing the axle bolt in place with locking pliers. Loosen the caliper bolts with a ratchet set and pull the caliper off the rotor.

Raise the Bandit off the ground with a motorcycle lift. Tap the rear axle bolt out from the swing arm and the rear wheel with a metal push rod and hammer. Push the rear wheel forward, remove the chain from the sprocket and pull the wheel off the frame.

Remove the bolts around the rear wheel sprocket that secure it to the wheel with a ratchet set. Pull the rotor off the wheel and place the new sprocket onto the wheel. Tighten all the bolts with a ratchet set.

Follow the drive chain to the sprocket on the side of the engine and remove the nut from the centre of the drive sprocket with a ratchet set. Pull it off the frame and place a new sprocket onto the engine. Tighten the nut to secure the new drive sprocket.

Place the rear wheel onto the frame and connect the drive chain to both sprockets. Replace the axle bolt the opposite way that you removed it. Replace the caliper the opposite way that you removed it and tighten all the bolts. Lower the Bandit to the ground.

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Good, Robert. "How do I Replace the Sprockets & Chain on a Bandit 1200?" , http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_7765119_do-sprockets-chain-bandit-1200.html. 13 May 2017.

Good, Robert. (2017, May 13). How do I Replace the Sprockets & Chain on a Bandit 1200? . Retrieved from http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_7765119_do-sprockets-chain-bandit-1200.html

Good, Robert. "How do I Replace the Sprockets & Chain on a Bandit 1200?" last modified May 13, 2017. http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_7765119_do-sprockets-chain-bandit-1200.html

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About the Author

Living in Tucson, Ariz., Robert Good has been writing from 2003 on a wide variety of subjects ranging from sports, gardening and cooking to auto repair, home maintenance and travel. Good holds a Bachelor of Science in psychology from the University of the State of New York.